Long Hot Summer
by donna79
Summary: They had no idea what they were in for. If they were looking for a change than they were going to get one.
1. Introductions and Assignments

**Story Title: Long Hot Summer**

**Summary: None of them knew what lay ahead of them. If they were looking for a change, they were going to get one.**

**Pairing: Jake/Bella...But don't expect it for the first half of the story.**

**Rating: M, for crude humor and sexual innuendos and possibly eventually a few lemons.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. It belongs to Stephenie Myer. I also got the title for this story from a Keith Urban song, it's not imperitive that you listen to it, but it is a good song.**

**AN: I got inspired to write this story after reading a Hunger Games story last fall. The story is called Cruel Summer and it's by TwilightCakes, yes she does write for Twilight too, so go read her stuff..all of it. It's mandatory and I promise you will love it as much as I do. Also I would like to mention that I only got the idea from that story, this story is different, the only thing they have in common is that they both take place at a camp and they are named after songs. I just wanted to clear that up.**

Bella Swan was not the outdoorsy, camping type, but for the past two years she had put her old ways behind her for two months out of every year. She never could say no to Harry and Sue so when they asked her to be a camp counselor at the camp that they had started she had been scared. Disaster scenerio after scenerio ran through her mind. This year was going to be different. Her three best frieneds were finally old enough to be counselors along with her. They would help her whenever she needed them.

Jacob, Embry and Quil had been going to Camp Blackhawk since they were twelve so they knew the camp like the back of their hands. Bella had never been a camper at the camp since the summer was the only time she got to spend time with her dad. Being the child from a broken home did have it's disadvantages.

Bella had been friends with the boys ince they were still in diapers. She worked hard to keep her friendship with them intact even though she only saw them four times a year. She was going to hate leaving them at the end of the season, she could feel it.

"Have you got everything you need?" Renee asked from the door way from doorway to Bella's room.

Bella did a mental check of her two bags and light suitcase she was taking. She had enough sun screen to share with the entire camp for the entire season and she was bringing three bathing suits because she couldn't decide which one she wanted to bring. She had two pairs of tennis shoes and a pair of beat up hiking boots that had seen better days.

"I may need a new pair of boots for next year. The ones I have now will be lucky to get me through the entire season," she said discouringly.

"Do you have money to buy more?"

"I'm sure that Harry and Sue will give me an advance on my paycheck if I need it."

"That money is for college. Take this, use it only for emergencies," Renee said slipping a credit card into Bella's hand.

Bella gave her a thankful smile before turning to give her a hug. Bella'd had her reservations about going since it was her last summer before college. She would only have a couple of weeks at her dad's before heading off to the University of Washington. This would be the last time that she saw her mom for a good five months.

"I'm gonna miss you Sweet Pea," Renee said quietly.

"I'll miss you too."

"Call me when you can at camp and then we'll work on getting you a better phone contract."

"Yes ma'am."

"You ready to go Bells?" Phil asked from the hall.

Bella pulled away from her mom giving her a weak smile. They were saying goodbye now because Renee would have trouble letting her go if she went to the airport. Jacob, Quil, and Embry would be picking her up from the airport and they would be heading to camp from there.

After being on the plane for four hours she was glad to be on stable groud. She was scanning the crowd when she was nearly bowled over. She pushed her hair out of her yes with wide eyes and Quil's face was inches from hers.

"Jerk," she grumbled.

"Love you too Bells," he said with a chortle.

"Let her go," Jacob said, holding back the urge to laugh.

"Why don't you just lick her next time? Or maybe mark your territory? That would be better," Embry said before thwacking Quil upside the head.

"What Quil was trying to say is that he missed you," Jacob said as he picked up Bella's suitcase that Quil had knocked out of her hand.

They walked to the baggage claim with all of them talking at once. Bella's dad, Charlie said that they had their own language that no one else understood. They were telekinetically insync. They somehow knew when one of them needed the other three. Each of the boys carried a bag through the airport while Bella called her mom and dad to let them know that her flight had landed safely.

They loaded everything into the back of the smallest car she had ever seen. It was brand new with the ninety day tags still on it. Bella watched with a bewildered expression.

"What?" Embry asked.

"Is this yours?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said slowly.

"Nice clown car," she said with a snicker.

Quil and Jacob hooted with laughter but Embry gave her a steely eyed glare.

"Just for that you're stuck riding in the bass mobile. I hope you brought ear plugs," he countered.

"I have some if she doesn't," Jacob retorted.

Embry and Quil got into Embry's Fiat and Bella followed Jacob up to the top level where he had parked. Music so loud that it rattled the windows pounded out of the speakers that replaced the back seat. Jacob quickly adjusted the volume so that the people around them would stop staring.

The drive down the Penensula to Olympia took less than an hour but in that time Jacob and Bella had time to talk. Their dad's had been best friends since they played popcorn football and little league baseball. She had a deep rooted friendship with each of them but she felt closer to Jacob because of their dad's.

"This year is going to be great. All four us are going to be counselors; we'll own the camp. You know Harry and Sue will let us do whatever we want," he said sounding sure of himself.

"At least you'll have the boys to hang out with after lights out. Leah said she wasn't sure if she was coming this year," Bella said with a sigh.

"It's nobodies fault but your own for not making more friends. It'll be fine," he reassured her.

"You're right, I'm worrying over nothing," she said psyching herself out.

He turned to look at her once he had stopped a stop light. The sun shone on her hair making it glow like copper. She looked at him from out of the corner of her eye, giving him a small smile. He grinned back before running a hand through his short hair.

"The light is green," she said quietly.

Embry honked impatiently behind them before Jacob pressed down on the eccelorator. The moment between them was over before it could begin. They resumed talking and soon they left the highway for the mountain terrain of Olympia. Bella relaxed against the seat with a content smile. She had fallen in love with the scenery the first time she saw it. Camping trips of years past came back to her with a wave of nostalgia.

"Can you smell the burning leaves too?" Jacob asked to break the silence.

"Yeah. It's the smell of our youth," she said still smiling.

"It's still my favorite smell."

"Mine is still chocolate," she said matter of factly.

Jacob scoffed with a shake of his head. Sometimes he forgot that Bella was so simple and he knew her so well. He knew her better than anyone and he was the one she told her secrets, fears, and dreams to.

They rounded a bend and the camp could be seen a short distance away. People were already unloading their cars and going up and down the stairs that led to the cabins in droves and as they got closer Bella recognized some of the counselors from last year. A few new faces stood out in the crowd but so far she hadn't spotted Leah or her boyfriend Sam.

"Relax," Jacob reminded her.

"I know that I'm worrying too much. Feel free to slap some sense into me if you need to."

"That's Leah's job," he said pointing out the windshield.

Bella followed his finger and sighed in relief when she saw Leah, Sam, and Leah's younger brother Seth coming down the stairs. Leah kissed Sam's cheek before making her way through the crowd and pausing to let Embry pull in next to Jacob. Bella got out of the car and Leah saddled up next to her to drape an arm over Bella's shoulders.

"Wecome back to the crazyness," Leah greeted her.

"I thought that you were taking that internship with the department of forestry."

"Mom and dad need me here. There's always next year," she said with a shrug.

"Well, I'm glad that you're here and I'm sure I'm not the only one," she said catching Sam's eye.

He nodded with a warm smile before turning his attention back to Paul Miller, another counselor from last year. Jacob pulled Bella's bags and suit case from Embry's car and sat them a few feet from where she stood silently. Leah saw him pause like he was going to say something before Quil handed him another bag. Leah was going to have to talk to Bella and soon. She knew that Jacob had feelings for Bella even if Bella didn't. Sometimes it took and outsiders perspective to see the light.

XXXX

Bella and Jacob stood side by side looking over the list of cabin assignments. Harry and Sue ran a tight ship and didn't play favorites. If you had a problem with someone you shared a cabin with you nedded to work it out in mediation with Sue; no one was allowed to switch cabins unless it was a last resort.

"I'm stuck with a newbie," Embry said with an aggitated sigh.

"If anybody can make it work, it's you," Bella said confidently as she clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"I've got a new guy too," Jacob confirmed.

"Yes, I'm with Paul!" Quil said gratefully.

"Why are you so excited? Isn't he the one who put itching powder in your swim trunks two years ago?" Embry asked in confusion.

""We get along better now," Quil said with a shrug.

"I'm with Leah again," Bella said with a satisfied sigh.

"We see who Harry and Sue's favorite is," Quil said with an eye roll.

Bella stuck out her tongue tauntingly before picking up her bags and suitcase and heading up the hill. She was in a different cabin than she had been in last year and she had less than half an hour to get settled in before orientation started. She was not looking forward to talking about herself in front of strangers with all of their attention focused on her. The screen door slammed shut behind her and she turned to see Leah struggling with an arm load of blankets.

"Mom said it's going to get cold at night this week. She doesn't want us getting sick."

Bella took a couple of blankets from her and threw them on her bed before heading back outside. A couple of the counselors had congregated in front of her cabin. Almost all of the female counselors from last year were back. The only two girls who hadn't shown up yet were newbies and they were paired with the other two girls. Bella stood with the girls as they gushed about the boys.

"Did you see Jake? He's sprouted up like a foot, and he's filled out," Jessica observed.

"He's a not a kid anymore. He's what, sixteen, seventeen?" Angela asked.

"He's sixteen. But you're in luck, Embry will turn seventeen while we're here," Bella stated.

"You are so lucky to be friends with them," Jessica said with an exagerated sigh.

"Hey, the two you are friends with them too. Who stuck up for you last year when everybody laughed at you because you had food stuck in your braces?" Bella asked Jessica.

"Embers," Jessica said with a short laugh.

"And who has always had your back when Jared calls your 'Four Eyes'?" Bella questioned Angela.

"Jake," she said with a smile.

"That hasn't changed."

They heard voices coming up the path which meant the new girls had finally arrived. The girls came out of the clearing and Bella, Jessica and Angela took them in. The smaller of the two had short dark hair that stuck out in different directions. She was wearing a short sleeved button down shirt over a tank top with a pair of faded cut offs with her tennis shoes. The blond looked so out of place it was almost comical. Her tube dress clung to her in the heat and the heels of her shoes sunk into the ground with every step she took.

A few seconds later two guys came out of the clearing carrying a heavy trunk. They set the trunk down between them a few feet away from the girls.

"Um, boys aren't allowed up here," Angela explained quietly.

"Yes they are, just not when Sue is due to come up any second," Jessica corrected her.

"They were just carrying her things. We can take it from here guys, thank you," the dark haired one said before kissing the blond guy on the cheek quickly.

The guys left and the brunette turned her attention back to the group. She smiled warmly withe the blond stared at her nails.

"I'm sorry, we haven't introduced ourselves. I'm Alice Brandon and this is Rosalie Hale," the girl said politely.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Jessica and Rosalie and I will be sharing a cabin. It's the one on the end. This is Angela, and she'll be your cabin mate and finally this is Bella; her cabin mate is Leah, her parents own the camp," Jessica explained.

Leah came out of the cabin and all eyes turned to her. She sized up the new counselors as she walked down the stairs. She was silent as she came to stand in between Bella and Angela. The airhorn rang over the P.A. to let them know that it was time to head down to the mess hall for orientation.

"I can help you carry your trunk inside if you want," Jessica offered to Rosalie.

"She recently broke her wrist, she wouldn't be able to lift it," Alice explained as she picked up one end.

"The rest of us are gonna head down. Don't take too long," Leah warned.

"We'll only be a minute," Alice promised.

The girls met up with the boys as they made their down the path. Jacob and Embry fell into step with Bella while Quil lagged behind to talk to Jared and Paul. At the mess hall Bella could tell that the girls were outnumbered as usual. She saw that Mike Newton was back and inwardly groaned. She saw the two guys who had carried Rosalie's things up for her standing with someone else who had their back to her.

Mike came up to her and draped an arm over her shoulders in greeting. She sighed before politely pushing his arm away.

"We are not going to have repeat episode from last year," she warned.

"I promise not to follow you around like a puppy dog this year," he promised with an innocent look.

Bella had to hold back the urge to laugh when he called himself the nickname that Leah had branded him with last summer. Hopefully Jared wouldn't make any of the references that he was so famous for this year.

"Who's your cabin mate this year?"

"I'm sharing with Leah again," she said with a grateful sigh.

"Lucky you; I'm stuck with a newbie. His name is Jasper Whitlock and he's not much of a talker."

"There's nothing wrong with that. Which one is he?"

"The blond; I swear, the dude creeps me out."

"Give him a chance. He doesn't know many people yet."

Mike didn't have a chance to respond because Sue and Harry stepped onto the stage and Harry blew into the mic sending feedback screeching from the speakers. Everyone quieted down and Sue suggested that everyone find a seat.

"For those of you who are new, welcome to Camp Blackhawk. I'm Harry and this is my wife Sue and we are happy to have you here. We want to take a little while to have everyone introduce themselves and explain to everyone else what exactly you'll be doing this summer. We'll start with the front row and work our way back," Harry said as he nodded to Leah.

"Thanks dad for putting me under the bus first. I'm Leah and I'll be teaching any of the kids who need it how to swim and I'll also be a lifegaurd. I'll be the one heading up the many camping trips that we will take this summer," Leah said before sitting back down.

Sam, Jared, and Paul were next and they would be manning the clean up crew that the kids would be a part of every weekend. Sam would also fill in whenever he was needed. Jessica and Angela would both be teaching arts and crafts for the younger kids. Embry stood up next then turned to face everyone.

"I'm Embry and I'll be the head lifegaurd this year," he said before sitting down.

"I have a question," Jessica said from the next row.

"Yes, Jess?" Sue asked.

"Embry, are you a certified lifeguard?"

"Yep," he said proudly.

"So you can like administer CPR and mouth to mouth and stuff like that?"

"Yes," he said slowly.

"I bet somebody fakes drawning this year," Jessica said mischievesly.

The room erupted in laughter and it took Sue a good thirty seconds to get everyone under control again.

"Jake, you're up," Harry said.

"I'm Jake and I'll be keeping the kids busy and make sure that they crawl into their bunks at night wishing that they had never come here. Oh, and I'm also heading up the sports activities with Emmett."

There were a few chuckles and then Bella stood to face everyone else.

"How am I supposed to follow that?" she asked Sue and Harry over her shoulder.

"You know that he likes to show off, just ignore him," Sue said with a shake of her head.

"I'm Bella and I'll be teaching the kids basic cooking skills."

"I have a question," Alice said from the back row.

"Go ahead," Harry said.

"Do you also offer cooking lessons for us counselors?"

"I can."

"Great, than I will talk to you later."

Bella sat down then jabbed Jake in the side, he draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder as Quil stood behind her.

"I'm Quil and I'll be teaching the kids basic survival skills and I'll be helping Leah with the camping trips."

The red head that Bella had seen talking to Alice and Rosalie's boyfriends stood next and he gave them a nervous smile before clearing his throat.

"Is it alright if I speak for Jasper as well? He's shy," he explained to Harry and Sue.

"Sure," Harry said with a nod.

"I'm Edward and he's Jasper, and we'll both be teaching music."

Edward sat down then it was Alice's turn. Bella looked over her shoulder feeling someone watching her as Alice explained that she would be helping Sue in the infirmary. Bella's eyes searched the row behind her starting at the opposite end. Her eyes met Edward's who was sitting directly behind Jacob. She gave him a polite smile before turning around. She could still feel his eyes on her and with it a wave of uneasyness washed over her. Rosalie rounded out the group explaining that she would be working in the coral.

Harry reminded everyone that he would be posting their jobs for the week for the preparation of the camp in the morning before dismissing them. Quil and Embry headed off to the cabins together but Jacob hung back getting the feeling that something was wrong with Bella. They walked back up the hill together silently before he finally confronted her at the fork that led to the guys cabins.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's probably nothing," she said dismissively.

"What is it?"

"The guy who was sitting behind you was staring at me. Something didn't feel right," she said with a shake of her head.

"Edward? He's my cabin mate. He didn't say much to me so I don't know much about him. He was more interested in unpacking and getting settled in than making small talk," Jacob said with a shrug.

"Like I said, it's probably nothing."

"I'll see you in the morning," he said pulling her to him.

She hugged him tightly and he kissed her forehead before letting go. He waited for her to continue up the hill to make sure she made it up okay before heading up the path to his cabin. He tried to shake the feeling of worry but he couldn't. Bella wasn't the type to worry over something small. He would keep an eye on Edward and if he noticed anything out of the normal he would act accordingly.


	2. Type A all the Way

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Emmett: Knock, knock.**

**Me: Who's there?**

**E: Donna.**

**M: I'm there?**

**E: Just ask Donna who? Jeeze.**

**M: Donna who?**

**E: Donna doesn't own Twilight.**

**AN: I want to point out that I have nothing against people who are Type A. I have several of them in my family although I am not one of them. And not all of them are bad, they just want things when they want them and they will not accept the word no. Also, thank you to everyone who liked, added and is following this story and sent in reviews for this story so far. I love and appreciate all of you. You guys are the reason that I love doing what I do.**

The counselors were woken up by the sound of a trumpet being played over the PA. Even after two years Bella woke with a start, not used to thse sound after not hearing it in over ten months. Leah was already awake and fresh from the shower.

"I detest that he feels the need to do that, it's rude," Leah said sullenly.

"Why did your mom buy him a sound board?" Bella asked with a tired sigh.

"Boys and there toys," she answered with an eye roll.

Bella understood that since her dad had more rifles and fishing rods than one person should own. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and jumped down, landing square on her feet like Jacob had taught her. She had bruised her heels twice and the balls of her feet once before she learned her lesson that first summer.

She took her time getting dressed. She had no shame when it came to changing in front of Leah. Leah had broken the ice when Bella was twelve when she made comments about Bella's newly developing body. Leah stopped calling her 'Flag Pole' after that; Bella's 'Mosquito Bites' were never mentioned again either.

Breakfast was cereal and orange juice from cartons. Simple, fuss free fair would be served until the kids got there on Saturday. Bella sat in between Angela and Seth while the 'couples' were paired off. Leah and Sam sat with Emmett and Rosalie while Alice and Jasper sat with Jessica and to Bella's suprise, Mike.

Even though Seth wasn't a counselor he was an honorary one and he was expected to pull his weight with the preporations during the coming days. Edward sat across from Bella silently. Bella gave him a tight lipped smile while Seth launched into a customary get to know you conversation with him.

It looked like Bella wasn't the only one who was from out of state but it was the only thing she had in common with Edward. He was from Chicago but went to school in DC. His father was a senator and his mother was a Ambassedor for the United Nations. He had gone to the same private school as the Bush twins although they had graduated six years before him. Emmett and Alice were his cousins, and they were both from Forks while Jasper was from Texas and Rosalie was from North Carolina.

"Bella's from out of state too," Seth stated.

"Where are you from, Bella?" Edward asked casually.

"I was born here in Washington, Forks actually. I live in Jacksonville now," she said, not making eye contact with him.

"She lived in Phoenix for a while," Seth offered.

"It must be nice living near the ocean," Edward said as if lost in thought.

Bella nodded half heartedly. She wished that Jacob, Quil or Embry were sitting at her table. Jacob sat with Sam and Leah, going over things with Emmett. They were planning some kind of end of summer games thing for the kids and councelors.

"Are you starting college in the fall, Bella?" Edward asked.

"I'm headed to UDub," she answered.

"Where are you going to school Edward?" Angela asked.

"I've been accepted to NYU, pre med."

"That's amazing, I haven't decided what I want to major in yet," Angela admitted with a bashful laugh.

"Me and you are in charge of clearing the beach. That hurricane that came through a few weeks ago did a number on it," Embry said, leaning in to talk to Bella.

"I need to get my sunscreen."

"I've got some, come on," he said pulling her up by her elbow gently.

Bella passed Jacob on her way to throw away her trash and as she passed him again to walk out the dor he took hold of her hand and squeezed gently in greeting. She smiled endearingly down at him before letting go of his hand. Quil playfully tugged on her ponytail once she stepped out onto the porch. He and Mike were in charge of fixing the loose boards on the porch then painting it.

Embry and Bella talked idly as they made their way to the 'beach'. It was really a lake with a giant sandbar. They both had a lot of sweet memories of swimming in the lake and swinging from the tire swing that had been recently taken down because the tree had been struck by lightning.

Embry sprayed the back of Bella's neck and legs with sunscreen before spraying her with insect repellent.

"You didn't have to do that," Bella protested lightly.

"You would't mind if it were Jake," he said with a teasing snear.

"Don't go there," she warned with a laugh.

He handed her a pair of work gloves and they got to work on clearing fallen limbs and trash. They soon realized that the dock was warped and would need to be torn down and rebuilt.

"You up for that?" Embry questioned.

"Do you want to trust me with a hammer?" Bella questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

"Good point. You can be in charge of the nail bucket and hold the boards in place while I hammer them down," he said in agreement.

"Mmkay," she said with a quick nod.

As the day wore on Embry set to task with pulling dock apart board by board Bella went up to the mess hall to grab them a couple of sandwiches and something to drink once she had cleared the sandbar of debris.

"How are things going?" Harry asked her as she waited her turn in the lunch line.

"Not bad, the dock is completely warped and Embry's taking it apart."

"I'll send Sam down to help him, Sue needs to go over your plans for the summer."

"Okay," she agreed.

She grabbed lunch for Embry and Sam took it with him when he left. Bella sat with Jacob and Leah, glad to have a chance to talk with him. He threw a balled up napkin at her and she threw it back at him with an eye roll. Alice sat down across from her with an expectant look.

"You ready to discuss those cooking lessons?"

"Uh huh," Alice said brightly.

"Well, lets start by telling me what you can cook."

"Grilled cheese?" she said in question form with an impish look.

"Hey, there's an art form to making grilled cheese; you should be proud of yourself," Jacob reprimanded her playfully.

"I like you," Alice said with a click of her tongue.

"Next question; what would you like to learn how to cook?"

"Jasper's favorite food is chicken alfredo.:

"That's actually really easy to make, especially if you use an alfredo mix."

"Do you mean alfredo from a jar?" Alice asked confused.

"Bella rarely uses anything from a jar," Leah explained.

"It's a packet mix that you can make on the stove. How about we work on it tomorrow?"

"That sounds good. How much do you charge?"

"It's free," Bella said with a laugh.

"You should charge people! It's a great way to earn extra money!" Alice encouraged her.

"She has a point," Leah interjected.

"Twenty bucks?" Bella asked Alice.

Alice nodded in agreement, reaching into her pocket. She pulled a small amount of money and caounted off a ten and two fives. She held it out for Bella and Jacob took it with a sigh.

"Thank the nice lady Bells," he teased.

"Thank you," Bella said bashfully.

"You're welcome," Alice said with a sweet smile.

Alice left with Leah a few minutes later to go back to work onn the flower beds in front of the girls cabins. They would be planting new flowers in the window boxes that afternoon and tomorrow they would be pruning and planting bushes on the boys side of camp.

"I hear you have a not so secret admirer," Jacob broached.

"Mike is all about Jess, he wouldn't do that to her...he'd better not," she muttered the last few words under her breath.

"Not Mike," he said with a shake of his head.

"Yes, my love spell on Paul worked!" she said enthusiastically.

"Yeah it did," Paul answered back.

"Love you," she said with a laugh.

"Love you too," he called from across the room.

She blew him a loud kiss and he blew her one back as Jacob shook his head with a chuckle. Bella giggled as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Edward has been asking Seth about you all day."

"Ugh," she said in disgust.

"My sentiments exactly."

"Does he have any weird hygene habits?"

"He gave me a list of rules last night. Do you want to know what number one is?"

"What is it?"

"I can't make any noise from midnight to seven because he needs at least seven hours of sleep," he said with an eye roll.

"Eff that! Like that's gonna work once the kids get here," she said with a scoff.

"Oh, I know it won't. We'll have Colin and Brady in our cabin. Just so you know, he wears an eye mask when he sleeps."

Bella threw her head back in laughter knowing exactly what to expect. Jacob's cabin was going to be the place to be that summer. At least Harry and Sue had thought to keep Seth out of the equation. Although the three of them would more than likely find creative ways to cause trouble.

"Which girls do you have this year?"

"Mostly newbies, but I have Claire and Bree," she said with a smile.

Claire Marks and Bree Tanner were Bella's two favorite campers and along with Seth, Colin, and Brady she would have her work cut out for her. Especially if Bree was still harbouring a secret crush on Seth. Bella had been touched that the girl had let her in on the secret last summer.

Sue called for Bella from the kitchen and Bella nudged Jacob as a way of saying goodbye. In the kitchen Sue had a yellow pad sitting on one of the prep tables.

"We need to make a plan for what you want to do for the summer."

"I was thinking I could do what I did last year. Let the kids toss around ideas and we could go from there," Bella explained.

"That will work. What were thinking about for your private lessons?" Sue asked writing something down.

"Alice has already talked to me about making chicken alfredo."

"Write down what you'll need and I'll pick it up tonight."

"I was going to put up a sign up sheet on the board and people could tell me what they want to learn, how much I'll be charging that kind of thing."

"How much will you be charging?"

"It depends on what they want to learn. Alice gave me twenty and that's fine," Bella explained as she wrote down what she needed from the store.

A few minutes later Bella made her way back to the cabins. Paul and Jacob were riding lawn mowers over the massive field in the center of camp that would be used as the sports area. She could see Angela and Edward in the distance weed eating the area that hugged the forest.

She didn't know what to think of Edward. To be honest she didn't know what he saw in her. Sure, she wasn't from the same small town as the other girls except for Rosalie and Leah who were already taken, but that didn't mean that she was anything like him. She considered herself plain and simple. She was as down to earth and easy to read as they came. She wasn't the tyoe of girl to fall over any guy who showed interest in her. If that were the case she and Mike would be married by now.

She started going through trunk that had rainy day things for the girls to do once she got back. She found board games and a deck of cards but nothing that would work for her girls. They would all be teenagers and she and Leah were giong to have to get creative. Maybe they could talk Sue into letting them bring down the TV and DVD player from the main cabin if it was necessary.

Once she finished that she sorted through the laundry bags with the girls names on them. It would be nice to have them lying out when the girls got there. Sue had never liked doing laundry so when a local dry cleaners had offered to do the camps laundry once a week for a discounted price Sue had jumped at the chance.

The air horn blasted through out the camp a few hours later signaling the end of the work day. Bella didn't feel like she had done much work wise and planned to talk to Harry about it during dinner. Leah came in sweaty, dirty and with twigs nestled in her hair. You could tell that she had put in a hard days work. Bella on the other hand, hadn't broken a sweat since that morning.

"Did you straighten up in here?" Leah asked as she grabbed her town and shower caddy from under her bunk.

"Yeah, I didn't have a lot to do today," Bella said sheephisly.

"That's gonna change tomorrow. Dad put up tomorrows list earlier. You and Jake are gonna be busy for the next few days. He's got the two of you power washing every building."

"I can handle that," Bella said confidently.

She and Paul had power washed the camp last year. It wasn't a hard job, just tedious. Leah waved over her shoulder before walking out the screen door.

Bella decided to grab a few drinks and head down to the beach. If she knew Embry and Sam, they would work until dark and they were due for a break.

Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie were swimming in the lake when she got there. She waved in greeting and followed the sound of the table saw. The guys had already set new pillars in the ground and the stairs were up so that they could start placing planks. She grabbed two of the waters from the bucket of ice she had carried down as Embry made his way towards her.

"Thanks," he said tipping the bottle back and drinking half of it in one pull.

She nodded in response and handed one to Sam as he came to stand on her other side.

"What did you end up doing today?" Embry asked.

"Nothing too exhausting. I'm saving my energy for the rest of the week."

"Are you on power washing duty again?" Sam teased.

"Yep. This time Jake is helping me."

"Jeeze, could Sue be anymore blatent about her wanting the two of you together?" Embry asked with a sigh.

"Jealous?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"Yes, I want a chance with Jake too!" Embry said, stomping his foot with a pout.

Sam snorted and Bella shook her head with an amused smile. If Jacob had something he wanted to tell her than he needed to be up front about it. If she were honest with herself she would admit that she were questioning her feelings for him too.

XXXX

Word spread like wildfire among the councelors that everybody was invited down to the beach after dinner on Friday. It was their last night to unwind before the kids came. Harry and Sue didn't keep a tight reign on them but it was an unspoken rule that alcohol was not prohibited on camp grounds. Not even Leah was willing to go against her parents rules.

During dinner there was excited chatter about what might happen that night. Jared and Sam had spent a couple of hours building up a stock pile for a bonfire. It would be Jacob, Embry, Quil, and even Seth's first bonfire. The four of them were huddled together in a corner, leaving Bella to find another place to sit. Alice waved her over and she sat in between Alice and Emmett. She had been meaning to talk to the group since the first day but she'd been side tracked by Jacob, Leah, and every one else.

"How have you been? Are you guys ready for tomorrow?"

"Jasper was a little nervous, but he's doing a lot better," Emmett answered.

"I was nervous my first time here too. This is my third year," Bella said to reassure Jasper.

"How long have you known the boys?" Rosalie asked.

"Jake, Embry, and Quil? I've known them since before they could talk. My dad and Jake's dad are best friends."

"Didn't I hear Seth say that your last name is Swan?" Emmett asked.

"It is," Bella said with another nod.

"Your Chief Swan's daughter?" Alice asked with wide eyes.

"Mmhmm."

"She has a tiny crush on him," Emmett said holding his middle and index finger a few inches apart.

"This is the first I've heard about this," Jasper said intrigued.

"Her dad is gorgeous," Alice said with a confirming nod.

"This conversation doesn't make me uncomfortable at all," Bella lied with a nervous chuckle.

"Okay, time to change the subject," Emmett said with a loud clap of his hands.

Angela and Edward sat down as he said this.

"What are you guys talking about?" Angela asked.

"Something you and I can talk about tonight," Alice promised.

"Really?" Bella asked, shocked.

Alice nodded before opening her soda.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," Rosalie said to Edward and Anglea.

"I'm just making a new friend," Edward said uncomfortably.

Angela smiled shyly before taking a bite of her hamburger. Obviously Angela hadn't picked up on Edward's weird vibe or maybe it was just Bella.

Bella smiled at Angela when there eyes met a minute later. It was obvious that Edward wasn't the only one uncomfortable by what Rosalie had said. Angela was nothing like Jessica and she was even more of a social wallflower than Bella was. She wasn't the type to pick up on a boys signals of affection. Even Bella could see where she was coming from to an extent.

The conversation then changed and they asked Bella and Angela about the campers that would be coming tomorrow. They answered their questions, stifling their fears about being in charge of nearly three dozen children that they had never met before.

"How many kids are there this year?" Jasper asked.

"Thirty-five, five campers per cabin," Bella explained.

Everyone started to leave after Sue gave them their kitchen duty assignments for the duration of camp. Every cabin was required to help set and cleanup after every meal for a week and Bella and Leah's group fell last, which meant that they would be in charge of cleaning up after Embry's birthday party. Last year Sam and Paul's kids had been in charge of clean up and the group included Jacob, Seth and Seth's two partners in crime. An all out food fight had ensued and Sue had not been happy.

Bella was reading a book while she waited for Jacob, Embry, and Quil. She never heard the stairs creak or the porch groan under their weight so she continued reading.

"When did you get that?" Jacob asked.

Bella looked up in suprise to see him looking at the Kindle Fire she was holding.

"It was a going away present from my mom and Phil," she said once she found her voice.

"It's a lot easier than bringing the duffle bag full of books you brought last year," he said with a chuckle.

"Where are Em and Q?"

"They're already down at the beach. Sue needed help bringing stuff down for us and they got roped into helping."

"Let me guess, you mysteriously dissapeared?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Yep. You ready to go?"

"Sure."

She went inside to grab her shoes and put her reader on her bed before heading back out. Jacob sat on the porch swing with his arms extended on either side. He stood once the door slapped closed behind her. He ran a hand through his short dark locks as he crossed to where Bella stood.

They walked down the path then across the soccer field in silence before Emmett and Alice joined them. Alice nudged Bella's arm lightly and Bella looked over at her in confusion. Alice fluttered her eyelashes and gave her a dreamy eyed look and Bella rolled her eyes in response. Something told her that Alice was a little boy crazy.

Music could be heard from the beach along with shouting and laughing as they made their way down the narrow dirt path, apparently they were the last ones there. Emmett and Alice left them and they found a secluded place so they could talk. They had talked a lot over the past few days while they worked. It was surprising how much you could talk about in a four day period when left alone with someone. Jacob had recently broken up with his girlfriend of a year and a half. Bella had liked Nessera, 'Nessie' as Jacob had liked to call her.

Jacob had first told Bella about Nessera over two years ago when he had run into her at a party on First Beach. Because her parents were strict and refused to let their daughter date someone who was not Indian as they were she and Jacob had been friends at first. Jacob had finally won them over nearly a year later. It wasn't like they would be getting married and once her parents found someone for her to marry Jacob would gladly step out of the picture. He had called Bella with the news that they were no longer together not long after his birthday that spring. Bella could tell that he was taking it hard and she was willing to be there for him as long as he needed her.

"You okay? You seem awfully quiet," Bella observed.

"Yeah."

"You sure? What happened to the guy who's been talking my ear off all week?"

"I got a text from Nessie before I came to get you. She hates the guy her parents have found for her," he said with a sigh.

"What are you going to do?"

"There's nothing I can do, if I try to see her her parents will probably send her to New Delhi to live with her grandparents," he said with a shrug.

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that we could be friends but that was it."

"You're a good guy Jake, there's a girl out there for you," she said draping an arm over his shoulders.

He leaned against her, putting all of his weight on her with a heavy sigh. She wanted to take the pain away but she didn't know how.

They sat like that until Embry came over to ask them i f they wanted to go swimming. Jacob pulled away long enough to pull his shirt over his head. Bella pulled her shorts and shirt off shyly pushing her hair out of her face. Jared whistled and Emmett catcalled from a few yards away. She knew letting her mom talk her into buying the skimpy purple and white striped bikini was a bad idea. She'd never wear it around the kids.

"Need a hair tie?" Leah asked holding one out to her.

"Thanks," she said as she took the tie from her.

Embry waited until Bella had put her hair up before picking her up and runing towards the dock with her.

"Stop, no!" she protested.

"You might want to shut your mouth, unless you want to chug water," Embry warned.

Seconds later he jumped off the dock with a rebel yell. They flew a good ten yards before hitting the frigid water. She came up sputtering and saw Embry a few yards away. She dunked him forcefully. She swam towards the shore to the cheering crowd collected there.

"That'll show 'im Bells," Quil congratulated her.

Jessica handed Bella a towel and Bella wrapped it around her tightly.

"Come on Bells, don't be mad. I had to get Jake out of his funk," Embry argued.

Bella searched the crowd to see Jacob grinning as he shook his head. He gave Embry a gentle shove with a laugh.

"Could you imagine me trying to lift him? I'd break my back, so I went for the closest person," Embry said in apology.

"Just don't do it again," Bella said with a sigh.

The party wound down three hours later around midnight. The campers would start arriving at nine and there were still a few things to be done. Bella walked back to the cabins with Jacob and Quil on either side of her. Embry and Quil took off down the broken path to the boys cabins after telling Bella goodnight. Bella turned to Jacob giving him a worried look.

"I'll be fine. I just never expected to hear from her again," he said sadly.

"Don't beat yourself up, you did the right thing."

"Then why does it hurt?"

"Because you loved her," Bella said quietly.

Jacob pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. He kissed her hair lightly before letting go. Bella watched him walk up the dimly lit path. She hoped that he would be able to move on without anymore trouble.

XXXX

Bella waited patiently as the campers were signed in and handed over to the camp. So far only two of the girls from her cabin had shown up but it was only ten thirty. Leah had led the girls up to the cabin to drop off their things then took them to the mess hall where Harry and Sue were having orientation at noon.

"Bella!" Claire called excitedly.

"Hey, Claire Bear," Bella said as her parents signed her in.

Claire had missed the cut off date to be a counselor by two months. She and Quil had been dating a few months and Bella was happy for the two of them.

"I'm so glad that I'm with you and Leah again," she gushed.

"We are too," Bella said with a smile.

"Did we give you everything she needs?" Claire's mom asked.

"Yes, ma'am, it looks like everything is here. You're more than welcome to leave if you need too. She can stay with me until Leah gets back."

"Thanks Bella," Ms. Marks said with a smile.

Claire sat next to Bella and they talked while they waited for Leah. Claire launched herself at Leah once she saw her.

"Ease up Claire, it's good to see you too; even though I just saw you a few weeks ago."

Claire let go and launched into an excited conversation about how this was going to be the best summer ever. Quil came up to her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. Bree showed up after Leah and Claire went up to the cabin and hugged Bella tightly.

"Hey you," Bella said with a tender smile.

Bree waved back with a shy smile. Bree and Claire were best friends but they were complete opposites. Leah came back and ushered Bree up the path before she had a chance to see Seth who was coming down the stairs with Colin and Brady flanking him. Bella was left to wait to wait for their last cabin mate. Her name was Elizabeth Williams and like Bree she was fifteen. Claire who was sixteen would be the oldest camper that year which meant that setting the precident for the other campers would fall on her shoulders.

A little while later a girl with shoulder length wavy blond hair came to stand in front of Bella. Her name tag said Beth which confirmed that she would fill the last spot in the cabin. Her parents exchanged pleasentries with Bella while Beth took in everything around her.

Her parents were filling out the required forms when Leah came back down the path. Bella noticed her and waved her off then shook her head. She could handle taking Beth up to drop off her things.

They were halfway up the path when Bella felt that Beth was starting to relax.

"You'll love it here," Bella promised.

"There aren't any little kids in our cabin are there? Not that I don't like kids, but I came here to get away from them," Beth explained.

"The youngest girl in our cabin is thirteen. Does that work for you?"

"I guess. I don't mean to sound stuck up and snobbish but I really need this summer to relax and not worry about what's going on back at home."

"I can understand that," Bella said as they stepped into the clearing with the cabins in front of them.

Bella introduced Beth to the girls from the cabin at orientation and she took a few minutes to get to know the other two new campers. They were thirteen year old twins named Carrie and Nora. Harry and Sue called for every one to settle down so that they could have lunch.

Beth sat in between Bella and Carrie and Bella was glad that the two girls were becoming friends. Carrie and Nora were fraternal twins with curly red hair and more freckles than Bella could count. Nora was sweet and quiet while Carrie talked a mile a minute and was very friendly. Carrie and Nora reminded Bella of a young Jessica and Angela.

With all of the campers there the season could officially begin. Bella couldn't wait to see how the kids grew and changed over the next eight weeks.

**AN2: I want to explain to all of you how to pronounce Nessera's name. It's Nes-sir-uh. I didn't want there to be any confusion.**


	3. Welcome to the Craziness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: My internet service was being stupid last week and I wasn't able to get to a few of you who sent in reviews but I wanted you to know that I have read them and that I am grateful and appreciative for every review that you all send in. I heart you guys.**

The first few days of camp were always a little hectic. New campers were initiated and pranks ran rampant. If you weren't carefull you could walk right into a wall of shrink wrap taped to a door or food would fly and miss it designated target leaving some poor soul with chocolate frosting in their hair or on their clothes. The pranks weren't too elaberate, no one had been injured since Bella's first year. Quil had taken a piece of plywood to the side of the head in a prank gone wrong that left him with a scar over his left eyebrow. James Rodart and Laurent Campbell hadn't been seen since. Bella was glad that James' girlfriend Victoria Lewis wasn't there that year.

The campers from this year were pretty creative when it came to pranking but so far she had skated through unscathed. She had more downtime than she was used to so she normally spent her days working in the kitchen while the kids went through their daily schedual. She saw the kids every morning from nine thirty to ten thirty; that gave the kitchen crew enough time to clean up after breakfast and prepare for lunch.

The kids could be heard in the mess hall so she finished up what she was working on. The main room was filling up and the kids were talking amongst themselves. Bella grabbed a basket filled with folded pieces of paper. She placed the basket on the table at the front of the room. The kids settled down and Bella smiled as her eyes scanned the room.

"Okay guys, it's time to find out what we'll be working on next week," she announced.

The kids focused all of their attention on her. This was smoehting that they looked forward to. The basket was brought out on Mondays so that they could write down what they wanted and again on Wednesdays to reveal who's idea's got picked. Bella had no idea what she was in for so she looked forward to just as much as the campers did. She placed a hand into the basket and drew out a piece of paper. She opened it then let out a small laugh.

"Seth, pizza? Again?"

"Yeah! We can make a different kind this time," he explained.

"All in favor?"

Naturally, everyone raised their hands. She would go through their files to see what kind of dietary restrictions that the newbies had. She pulled out another piece of paper.

"Okay, fish tacos. Come on guys, make this hard for me," she said with a laugh.

Everybody agreed except for Beth.

"I'm allergic to fish," she explained.

"That's okay, you can be my sous chef that day," Bella reasoned.

In the next twenty minutes they had decided on spaghetti, fried chicken and mac n cheese. Bella led the way to the kitchen where she had set up everything to make blueberry muffins. The kids got to work and Bella walked through the room, helping when needed.

Jacob, Quil, and Embry came in while they were cleaning and eyed the trays of muffins.

"The three of you can wait until they have had their share," Bella warned.

Embry hopped onto the island in the center of the room to talk to Seth and Quil sought out Claire. Jacob leaned against the wall next to Bella, folding his arms over his chest. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You're free tonight, right?"

She and Leah alternated nights looking after the girls in their cabin. As long as Bella was back before midnight she was free to roam the camp.

"Tomorrow night," she said with a shake of her head.

"Do you wanna go swimming?"

"Night swimming sounds perfect," she said with a sigh.

The kids ate, talked and laughed and Bella was calmed by the scene. There was nothing better than a kitchen filled with talk and laughter to her. Bree brought over a plate of muffins for Bella and Jacob and he hugged her to him. They talked for a few minutes as the hour wound down.

Jacob took the kids down to the field for a pick up baseball game and Bella headed up to the main cabin to use Sue's laptop. If the kids wanted pizza and mac n cheese than she was going to get creative. She looked through the files that Sue and Harry kept on every camper before deciding on what recipes she wanted.

By the time she was finished it was lunch time so she hustled down to the mess hall. The kids were just getting there and she fell in line behind Leah. They sat at their assigned table and as usual, Bella sat back to back with Jacob.

Edward sat across from Jacob watching Bella. He didn't know what to make of the two friends. It was obvious that there was something going on between them. Edward hadn't given up on trying to get Bella's attention but he had backed off. He knew that he came off a little intense but Bella was the first girl to brush him off. What was it about wanting what you couldn't have? She had hardly said two words to him since the campers had arrived. He had noticed that Angela seemed to like him. She was a sweet girl, but she wasn't his type; technically neither was Bella. He tended to date girls like Rosalie; the high matenience type who cared more about what they looked like than current events of the world.

Bella felt the tell tale feeling of somone watching her. She had a feeling about who it might be. She casually looked over her shoulder just in time to see Edward avert his eyes from her. She turned back around to see Colin pass something to Seth across the aisle at the end of the row of tables. Since that wasn't out of the normal she didn't think anything else about it. Lunch ended a few minutes later and Seth left with Harry to go into town.

Bella took the girls down to the beach so that Leah and Sam could have some alone time. The girls sat sunbathing on the sand bar, inconspicuosly watching Embry from behind their sunglasses. Bella had to admit that there was something about seeing a guy in his lifeguard red swim trunks with a whistle dangling from his neck and glasses on that made girls lose their cool. If it were anybody other than Embry on the lifeguard stand she would be watching his every move too.

A little while later Jacob and Edward showed up with three of their boys. Where were Colin and Brady? It wasn't like them to miss a chance to show off for the girls. Jacob sat next to Bella siently and she pushed her sunglasses to her forehead.

"Where's the dynamic duo?"

"Brady claimed that he wasn't feeling well, Colin said he'd go back to the cabin with him."

"And you didn't think something was up with that?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Jasper said that he'd check on them," he explained with a shrug.

Bella let the conversation drop as the kids ran in a straight line down the dock and took flying leaps off the end one by one. Bella had learned to swim in the lake. It dropped a good ten feet where the dock ended. She couldn't count all the hours she spent playing Marco Polo, water volley ball or chicken in the water.

Jacob took hold of Bella's hand, lacing their fingers together. He was being more touchy feely than normal. She wasn't complaining, she knew that he was just testing the boundaries of their friendship. They needed to talk about what was going on, if he had feelings for her than she had a right to know. At least so that she could put words behind what was going on.

XXXX

After spending a few hours at the beach Bella took the girls up to the cabins. They all migrated in Alice and Angela's because Alice was known for giving makeovers and letting the girls try on her clothes. She may have been from a small town but Alice had been all over the world. She was telling the girls about last years Paris fashion week and all of them gave her their full attention.

"So, do you know anyone famous?" Carrie asked.

"I sat next to Kourtney Kardashian on a flight to New York a few months ago," Alice said with a shrug like it was no big deal.

"I want to know how you met Jasper," Bella said to change the subject.

"My dad bought a summer house in Dallas a few years ago but I didn't meet Jazzy until last summer. I was playing volley ball with my friends and he was reading a little ways away. I noticed him and spent the next half an hour trying to get him to notice me. Finally Emmett made a wild serve and it nearly hit Jasper. He looked up as I was pleading with Emmett not to make me go and get it. Jasper brought it back, our eyes locked and we've been together ever since," she said with a smile.

"I'm gonna go change. Quil and I are going on a hike in a little while," Claire announced before leaving.

A shrill scream pierced the air less than a minute later. The girls rushed outside to see Claire standing on the porch. She was covered in some sticky substance and feathers. She was trying frantically to pull the fathers off of her as she cried.

"Claire chill, it'll come off with water," Beth said.

"No, you don't understand. I'm allergic to goose feathers. If I don't get these off now I'll break out in hives," she said panicked.

"Bree, go turn on the water and get the hose from around back. I'm gonna get some towels and try to wipe some of this off," Bella said, taking action.

By the time she came back outside Sue, Quil, and Leah were surrounding Claire. Sue hosed Claire off quickly while Quil tried to calm her down. Bella stood back with the girls hoping that Claire would be okay. Harry came out of the clearing, out of breath because he had ran up the trail.

"What's going on?" he asked once he had caught his breath.

"Another prank gone wrong. I need you to start questioning everybody. Poor thing, she's already starting to break out," Sue said regretfully.

Harry took Quil with him so that Quil wouldn't worry as much. He had a feeling that Seth was a part of this. The kid had ventured off on his own in town then wouldn't let Harry see what he had bought. Seth would be the first to be questioned.

Seth sat in his dad's office fifteen minutes later, his hands in his lap, his eyes shifting from one spot to the next.

"Do you want to tell me what you bought in town now? Because if you're honest you're punishment won't be as harsh," Harry prodded.

Seth stayed quiet.

"Seth, come on. Claire was taken to the hospital a few minutes ago and she's probably going to be in the infirmary when she gets back."

"She's in the hosptial?" Seth asked, his face crestfallen.

"It's standard procedure, son. She had an allergic reaction to the feathers. I'll be lucky if her parents don't come and get her and demand their money back," Harry said gravely.

"I'm sorry, dad. I didn't know," Seth mumbled.

"You're telling me that you acted alone?"

"Yes sir," he said, not meeting his dad's eyes.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that."

"We rigged it; he only went into town to get everything," Colin said from the door.

"Seth didn't want to do it," Brady pleaded Seth's case.

"I see," Harry said with a sigh.

He waved Colin and Brady in then Brady shut the door behind him. Jacob had caught Colin and Brady throwing away empty bottles of maple syrup in pillows that had formally been full of feathers. The two of them had thrown the evidence in the trash bin behind the kitchen and had been honest when had Jacob questioned them.

The door opened and the boys came out with their heads hung low. Jacob led them back to the cabins silently. Sam led Seth back to their cabin and Jacob looked between Colin and Brady in confusion.

"You two know better than to do something like that. Why'd you do it?"

"Beth, Carrie, and Nora kept dodging our pranks," Brady said quietly.

"No more pranks," Jacob said firmly.

"I better get up to the mess hall. I'm on dinner duty for the rest of the summer," Brady said with a sigh.

Jacob waited until Brady was gone before sitting on the bunk across from Collin. Brady was a good kid, he usually went along with what Seth and Colin wanted so they didn't haze him for it later.

"What's your punishment?"

"I have to clean the bathrooms once a week for the rest of the summer," Colin said in disgust.

"It's your own fault. That must mean that your were the genious who thought it was a good idea."

"You thought it was funny when we did it to Paul a few months ago," he reasoned.

"Paul isn't allergic to feathers and he can a douche bag sometimes. He had it coming to him, Claire has never been anything but nice to you."

Colin hung his head in shame knowing that Jacob was right. It was stupid and he never should have talked Seth and Brady into doing it.

XXXX

Harry held everyone after dinner to give them an update on Claire. She was fine but she had broken out in hives on over half of her body. The boys punishments were explained and Bella was shocked to find out that Seth was no longer a camper, he'd be spending the summer in the main cabin, only coming down to eat. Harry didn't like being played for a fool or lied to.

"There will be no more pranks. If there are, the councelor or councelors involved will be fired and the camper or campers involved will be sent home."

"Great," Beth and Carrie said in unison.

"What did the two of you do?" Leah asked accusingly.

"Come on, out with it," Harry prodded.

"Bella and Leah didn't know!" Carrie pleaded.

"If you come clean now you can stay and they'll keep their jobs," Harry promised.

"We TP'ed Colin and Brady's cabin and wrote a message in shaving cream on Seth's," Beth answered honestly.

"Dang," Colin said slowly.

Brady whistled in amazment.

"You two are gonna clean it up, go now before it starts raining," Sue ordered.

Everyone was dismissed and were told to go back to their cabins. Bella couldn't believe that the girls had been able to act so fast. Where had she been? Where had Leah been? She would keep a better watch on them from now on.


	4. Confessions

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Isn't it a shame?**

**AN: Okay, this story kicks into high gear with this chapter. I hadn't planned on it happening this way but it's funny how things can work themselves out when my Jake muse gets forceful. Enjoy.**

A bolt of lightning lit up the dark cabin followed by a loud clap of thunder. Nora trembled at the end of Bella's bed. She had climbed up when the storm started not long after lights out. The room lit up again and Nora wimpered. Bella sat up, pulling Nora up and into her arms. The trembling stoppped as Bella rocked them gently.

Bella lay down pulling Nora with her. She smoothed her hair down as thunder rumbled once more. Both ceiling fans slowed to a stop confirming her fears: the power had been knocked out. Wind howled and rain pelted against the side of the cabin relentlessly. This storm was a doozy with no signs of letting up anytime soon.

Nora finally settled against her and soon she fell asleep. Consoleing freaked campers was a part of the job description even if Bella didn't deal with it often. Bella sighed, trying to drown out the noise outside. After a few minutes she gave up trying and reached for her phone. Phones were permitted as long as you didn't use them when you were supposed to be watching the kids. She sent Jacob a message and within seconds he answered back.

What are you doing up?

Nora is scared of the storm.

What is she doing?

I finally got her to settle down. All it took was me being a human pillow. What are you doing?

I'm in Embry and Emmett's cabin since the boys were too loud for Edward's liking. They're telling ghost stories.

Everyone's asleep in my cabin except for me. I can't go back to sleep.

I'll be there in five.

No, don't go out in this mess.

Her phone was silent and five minutes later she heard Jacob on the porch. She slippped out of bed and tiptoed across the floor and the door creaked when it opened. Jacob sat on the porch swing, his hair matted to his head and his clothes clinging to him like a second skin.

"Are you insane?" she whispered accusingly.

"You would have done the same thing."

"Yes, but I would have remembered to grab an umbrella."

"I knew I forgot something," he said sarcastically, smacking his forehead.

"Smart ass," she said, nudging him in the side.

"You know, if it weren't raining we'd be swimming right now."

"There's always tomorrow night."

"True."

He draped his arms over the back of the swing and she curled into him, not caring that he was soaking wet. His feet pushed the swing gently and they let silence fall over them. It was nights like this that made Bella aware of all things that were going on between them. Most people wouldn't brave a category three storm just to sit up with someone just because they couldn't sleep. Now was a good time as any to define their friendship.

"Jake?"

"Hmm?" he asked, his voice a deep rumble.

"Do you think things would have turned out different for us if I lived in Forks?"

"Different how?"

"Do you think we'd be more than friends?"

"I don't know. We can't go back and change things. I'm pretty happy with the way things worked out."

"I am too, but what if I had been around?"

"We'd be closer that's for sure," he said thoughtfully.

"Closer how?"

"We'd be dating more than likely but we'd be about to break up because I know how you feel about long distance relationships," he said with a sigh.

"Just because I wasn't ready with Riley doesn't mean that I wouldn't have tried for you."

"Why are we talking about this?" he asked quietly.

"Because I need to you to say it out loud. I need to know that I'm not imagining things," she sniffled.

"Are you crying?"

"No, I'm just stressed out. Why does this have to be so hard?" she asked in frustration.

"Because we're both stubborn and bull headed."

"That must be it," she agreed with a nod.

"Do you like me too?"

"What are we twelve?" she asked with a short laugh.

"Nah, we're thirteen," he said, laughing along with her.

"We'll work through this."

"You didn't answer my question," he prodded.

"Yes, Jake, I like you. I thought that it was obvious."

He kissed the top of her head as the storm raged on around them. Neither of them knew that the girls and Leah were were hanging on their every word. Claire and Leah fist bumped while Bree let out a content sigh.

"You're next Curly," Claire said with a sinister grin.

Bree stared at her with wide, surprised eyes. She hadn't been the same since Seth had been exiled to his parents cabin. The only time she saw him was in the mess hall and he usually ate by himself. Even Colin and Brady couldn't get through to him. Everyone hoped that Harry and Sue would let him rejoin the campers. It was only a matter of time.

XXXX

It rained off and on all morning. Mother nature didn't care that it was the Fourth of July. Bella and Leah had their hands full because the girls were starting to get restless. They gathered the girls and they all went over to Alice and Angela's cabin. After two hours of makeovers and trying on clothes they were bored yet again.

"I have an idea," Rosalie said.

"We're not playing cards again," Beth proclaimed.

"This is better. Who here has played 'Never Have I Ever'?"

A few hands went up then Rosalie explained her version of the game. Each person would say something that they'd never done and if anyone else had never done it they would raise their hand. Everyone agreed to play and formed a circle and Alice volunteered to go first.

"Okay, let me think...Never ever have I been drunk."

All but a few hands went up, the only councelors who had never been drunk were Bella and Angela.

"Never have I ever been in an accident," Bella said.

Most of the hands went up again. Leah and Bree were the only ones who didn't raise their hands. Bree was next and it took her a minute to think of something.

"Okay, I've got one. Never have I ever had sex."

Suprisingly, only Carrie, Nora and Angela's hands stayed down other than the campers under the age of thirteen. Leah looked at Bella in surprise.

"When?" she asked pointedly.

"Two summers ago," she said with a shrug.

"Riley Biers," Leah said reverently.

"Also known as Angel Eyes. He could get you to do anything just by looking at you," Claire said with a nod of her head.

"He was cute," Jessica said with a giggle.

"What happened?" Rosalie asked.

"He went away to college and I went back to Florida. Neither of us were old enough to handle that much distance," Bella explained.

"What ever happened to him?" Claire asked.

"He's still in college, he's seeing some girl from Seattle," Bella answered.

"You two stayed friends?" Alice questioned.

Bella nodded. Riley had been her first love and she would never forget him. He was a nice guy who all of her friends and her dad had approved of. She had kept in contact with him as much as possible until his girlfriend had gotten jealous. They still Facebooked every once in a while but she hadn't seen him face to face since they'd said goodbye two summers ago.

The game continued until it was time to go down for lunch. The generator that ran everything in the mess hall was up and running so that they could cook lunch. As usual Bell and Jacob sat back to back but they were still able to carry on a conversation. It was obvious to everyone that something had happened.

Harry and Sue announced that they were going to have a movie night since the fireworks had been canceled.

"We've got a few choices for you guys so let us read 'em out before you start yelling out. We've got The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Captain America and Thor."

Everyone voted and decided on Thor before Embry and Jacob announced that they were putting together a game of Mudball.

"What's Mudball?" Jasper asked.

"It's football with mud. It gets intense and it's not for everybody. We won't think any less of anybody who doesn't want to play...Bella," Embry said with a sneer.

"Girls can play too?" Beth asked.

"Sure," Jacob said with a nod.

"Just know that if you rip up the grass you will be replanting it," Sue warned.

Bella went down to help Angela wipe the bleachers down while the group picked teams. Seth was able to play since Sue and Harry would be going to town to pick up the mail and get some things for movie night.

They were still in the first quarter when it started to rain. The councelors made the decision to keep the game going since it wasn't raining that hard and there wasn't any lightning or thunder. The bystanders huddled together under umbrellas as the game grew heated.

Quil intercepted the ball for his team and made it halfway down the field before he was tackled by Paul and Sam. They both got up but Quil stayed on the ground, holding his arm, writhing in agony. All the players gathered around him asking him if he was okay while everyone in the stands watched with baited breath.

"Why did they both have to tackle him?" Nora asked.

"Quil's huge, it takes two people to bring him down," Bella explained.

"Has anybody called Harry and Sue?" Claire called.

"His aunt and uncle are on their way," Seth called back.

Claire climbed over three people to get down from the bleachers. No one would have known that she'd been taken to the emergency room two days before. She was across the field before anyone could blink. Quil's aunt and uncle showed up to take him to the hospital and Jacob had to hold Claire back because she wanted to go with them.

Everyone went back to their cabins but none of them could shake what had happened. The siren blared an hour later taking them by surprise. Dinner wasn't for another three and a half hours so why were they being summoned to the mess hall? They trudged down the hill in the pouring rain. Bella and Leah flanked Claire because she had been distraught since Quil had left. Sue was standing on the platform and called for everyone's attention.

"Quil has broken his collar bone in three places and dislocated his elbow. He won't be back for the rest of the summer and I've contacted someone who can take his place. Meanwhile I have some more news: After tomorrow Leah will no longer be with us. Jessica will be moving into cabin one with Bella and Leah's replacement will be in cabin three with Rosalie."

"Why is Leah leaving?" Seth asked.

"She got a letter last week informing her that if she didn't take her internship with the department of forestry that she wouldn't get the credits that she needs to graduate."

Bella looked to Leah with questioning eyes but Leah looked down at her hands.

"Where's Harry?" Paul asked.

"He's at the hospital with Quil. Since he was injured here it would be considered a work related injury so the camp is liable to pay his doctor bills," Sue explained.

Sue dismissed everyone and Bella caught up to Leah as she tried to leave with Sam.

"I'll let you two talk," he said quietly.

Leah looked down at her feet as Bella crossed her arms over her chest.

"When were you planning on telling me?"

"I've been trying to tell you all week, I just haven't found the right words. I'm sorry," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Do you know who's coming?"

Leah nodded, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Since Jessica was being moved into their cabin that could only mean one thing: Victoria was coming.

"You couldn't warn me?"

"I didn't find out until this morning. She'll be here by dinner and I'm spending my last night up at the house."

Bella heaved a sigh, dragging her hands through her hair. She knew that she shouldn't be thinking the worst because maybe Victoria had changed. Something in her gut told her that she was wrong.

XXXX

Everyone took turns telling Leah goodbye the next morning. Victoria hadn't shown up last night because the storm that had hit them had made it's way down to Seattle. She and the new guy would be arriving together. Bella was sitting on the porch in the early morning sunlight when Victoria came walking up the trail.

Bell avoided eye contact with her, hoping that Victoria wouldn't call her out. She could hear Victoria's condescending voice in her head, chastising her for every little thing she did. Nothing she did was good enough or right in Victoria's eyes. She would never have made it through that first summer if it hadn't been for her friends and Riley.

Victoria didn't even cast a sideways glance at her before climbing the steps of cabin three. Bella went inside to find the girls asking Jessica a hundred questions at once.

"Guys, ease up. You'll have the next six weeks to get to know her. Let her be," Bella said over the noise.

The girls scattered giving Jessica a chance to breathe.

"Is she here?"

"Yep. I hope Rosalie knocks her off her high horse," Bella said smugly.

"Amen Sister," Jessica agreed.

"I'm gonna go see Leah before breakfast. Can you get them down there?"

"Sure, where do you keep their leashes?" she joked.

Bella laughed before waving over her shoulder. She found Leah and Sam in the parking lot and Sam was loading his car with Leah's things.

"Where are you staying?"

"I didn't tell you that Sam and I moved in together? We have an apartment."

"No you didn't, Miss Fornicator," Bella teased with a click of her tongue.

"I'll come and see you when you get to your dad's." Leah promised.

"Call me?"

"You bet," Leah said before getting in the car.

As she turned to walk up the stairs she saw someone out of the corner of her eye. Riley stood, leaning against the same banged up Jeep that he'd driven two years ago. He smiled in greeting, his smile reaching his ocean blue eyes. His dirty blond hair was a little shorter and he had filled out more but other than that he hadn't changed.

"Hey," he said, pushing away from the Jeep.

"Hey," she said with a kind smile.

"Bet you didn't expect to see me huh?" he teased with a laugh.

"You could say that. How have you been?" she asked breezily.

"Good. You?"

"I'm good," she said with a nod.

"I hear you're going to UDub this year."

"How'd you hear?"

"Your dad told my mom. Congratulations," he said opening his arms.

She stepped into his arms, relieved that all the feelings that she had for him were gone. She was glad that they both could be mature and remain friends.

"Riley?" Victoria called from behind them.

"I haven't told you, Victoria and I are getting married," he said pulling away from her.

"That's great, when?" she asked in surprise.

"We haven't set a date yet," Victoria answered.

"Congratulations," Bella said, meeting Victoria's eyes.

Victoria gave her a unsure look before flashing her a quick frosty smile. Yes, this summer was going to be one for the record books. Bella wondered how she would get through it if she didn't have her friends because she never would make it through any of this alone.


	5. Good Advice

**Disclaimer:**

**Seth: Guess who doesn't own Twilight? Donna. She still owns this story and the OC characters so please don't use them without her permission.**

**AN: Wow, you guys had some pretty strong feelings about the last chapter. It was that good? You guys didn't see Riley being brought in, did you? I gotta keep you on your toes some how. I wanted to let you guys know that I am envisioning Rachel Lefvre (I think that's how her last name is spelled), not Bryce Dallas Howard. I've always thought that Rachel was more menacing so she's the one that I am using. Thanks for the support. You guys are awesome.**

It was only two weeks into the summer and the campers and counselors had been through so much. Claire was physically better and was cleared to participate in camp activities but she had been so emotionally closed off that Sue and Harry weren't pressing her to get back into the swing of things. Bella was the only person who could get through to her. Bella's heart went out to her but she had no idea how to make things better. They had both talked to Quil a few times even though campers weren't allowed to have phone privlages without Harry or Sue's concent.

The Monday morning after Quil left came too early for Bella. Claire had kept her up half the night texting Quil, she hoped the girls wouldn't rat her out. Jessica entered the cabin just out of the shower and smiled feebly at her.

"Did Claire keep you up too?"

"I finally fell asleep around one," she said with a shrug.

"I'll remind her to put my phone on vibrate if it happens again. I'm sorry."

"No worries," Jessica said, waving a hand to brush her apology off.

"What time is it?"

"It's twenty to nine."

"I slept through breakfast?" she asked, jumping down from her bunk quickly.

Her ankle turned under the brunt force but Jessica caught her before she fell. Jessica gave her a concerned look and she smiled in gratitude.

"How'd you get me out of breakfast?"

"I told Sue that you had a headache but that you'd taken something for it and that you'd be down by nine. I was about to wake you up."

Bella dressed quickly and brushed her hair as she made her way down the stairs leading to camp. She made it to the mess hall precisely at nine as the campers were coming in. Sue had been nice enough to set up everything they would need in the kitchen. The kids came in and Bella got them settled down before bringing out the basket of paper slips. She looked around the room to see Claire sitting in the back by herself.

Once the rest of the week was decided on they made their way to the kitchen where the campers got to work on making snickerdoodles.

"They really don't have Snickers candy bars in them?" Brady asked.

"No, Brady," Bella answered, biting back the urge to laugh.

Bella pulled up a stool next to Claire and she didn't even acknowledge her. She went about mixing her dough, not looking away from the wall in front of her.

"I miss him too, but you can't keep acting like this Claire Bear. It's been three days since he left. You've got the whole camp worried about you," she broached.

Claire stopped what she was doing and slowly turned towards Bella. Bella noticed the unshed tears and once she had cleaned Claire up she pulled her to her. She sobbed quietly into Bella's chest while everyone else ignored them. Bella rubbed her back soothingly, whispering words of encouragement into her hair. The kitchen door opened and Sue was standing next to them within seconds.

"It's gonna be okay Sugar," Sue promised.

Bella stepped away to check on everyone's progess as the hour wound down. Most of the kids were finished while others waited for their cookies to finish in the oven. Sue led Claire out of the room explaining that she was taking her up to the main cabin and they'd be back for lunch.

Bella helped the kids clean up with only a few minutes left. Once they had left she sat at the counter going over the shopping list for the week. The door swung open making her look up. It swung shut behind Riley silently. He sat across from her and she sat her pen down to give him her full attention.

"Do you want to know what Paul said to me when I got to our cabin on Saturday?"

"What?"

"He warned me that I had better not plan on trying to win you back because someone else had their eyes on you," he said with a smirk.

Why was everyone so hell bent on trying to push her and Jacob together?

"It's fairly new, we're still figuring things out," she mumbled.

"How new?"

"We've only started talking about it four days ago."

"And how are things looking?"

"I don't know," she said, looking down at her hands.

"From a guys stand point even I can see that Jake is crazy about you. He always has been," he said leaning across the counter to tilt her chin so that she was looking at him.

"You think so?" she asked hopefully.

"I know so, but he won't wait around forever. You can't keep him at arms length and expect him to be happy about it."

"I know," she said quietly.

"Take a chance for once Bells. You'll be within driving distance and I'm pretty sure that he's willing to do anything that you ask him to do."

She knew that Jacob would walk to the ends of the world and back if she'd ask him to, he'd always been like that. She'd been too scared to admit it until recently. Riley was right, she couldn't keep pushing Jacob away because he would eventually grow tired of it. She needed to get over her fears and take the leap that Jacob had already taken. She knew just what to do.

XXXX

Bella hadn't been able to talk to Jacob until lunch and she didn't want to carry out her plan in front of everyone. She had been able to talk Jessica into taking the girls down to the beach for a game of volleyball so that she could talk to Jacob. Claire looked considerably better at lunch so that made Bella feel better.

"Sue let me Skype with Quil. We talked for over an hour," she gushed.

"Do you feel better?"

"So much better," she said with an affirming nod.

"Good," Bella said heartfeltly.

Jacob came down the aisle and Bella smiled warmly at him. He winked at her before sitting down behind her. She turned in her seat and tapped him on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder giving her a goofy look to throw her off.

"You're such a dork," she said with a laugh.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically.

"Do you want to go for a walk in a little bit?"

"Sure."

"Okay," she said happily before turning back around.

Her eyes met Claire's and Claire gave her a knowing smirk. Bella gave her an inconspicious shrug and Claire shook her head, still smiling. Bella rolled her eyes before breaking into a grin.

"I know that act so don't play dumb with me," Claire teased.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only to someone who's in love."

Bella looked around their table and noticed that Bree was missing. She searched the room and found her sitting with Seth, Colin, and Brady at the table behind them.

"So you're parents are letting you rejoin camp?" Bree asked.

"Yep. I'm on cabin clean up duty for the rest of the summer though," he said with a sigh.

"I bet you're glad to not have to be around your parents twenty-four/seven anymore," she broached.

"Hell yeah! My dad was like a watch dog."

"That had to suck."

"He got tired of me complaining that I was bored last night," he said with a grin.

"That's one way of getting out of being grounded," she said with a laugh.

He laughed and Bree took a moment to lock eyes with Bella for reassurance. Bella motioned with her hands for her to keep going.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"Sure," he said with a nod.

"Do you have a crush on anybody here?"

"Do you?" he asked with imploring eyes.

"I asked you first," she said with a wry smile.

"Please, Seth's holding out for Kendall Jenner, right man?" Colin asked.

"Well, that clears that up," Bree said with a short laugh.

Bella groaned as the conversation came to an end. Claire growled and Bella heard her curse Colin under her breath as Bree came back to the table. Bella patted Bree on the back encouragingly as she banged her head on the table.

"Every group of friends has one that's absolutely clueless. Colin is just the unlucky one who falls into that category," Beth admitted.

"Who's the friend from your group of friends Bella?"

"Quil," Bella and Claire said at the same time.

"I swear, sometimes I want to hit him over the head with a frying pan," Claire said with a laugh.

"Just try again, and next time make sure that you two are alone," Bella suggested.

Bree nodded in agreement when everyone started filing out of the room. Jacob and Bella hung back until the room was completely empty.

"Where did you want to go?"

"We could walk the trial," she suggested.

"Can you handle that? There's tree roots everywhere."

"If I fall, you'll catch me, won't you?"

"Always," he promised before taking her hand.

They started up the trail that led to the mountains hand in hand. Bella was silent, she didn't know how to put her thoughts into words.

"Is there a reason why we're walking this way?"

"It has nice scenery," she argued.

"You don't have any other reason?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"I'm still trying to figure it out," she admitted shamefully.

"Just say the first thing that comes to your mind," he said encouragingly.

She stopped and he stopped to turn towards her. He knew that look in her eyes, only she had never given it to him before. Before he could react she leaned up on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. Her lips were soft and gentle against his as he bit back a surprised moan. He cradeled her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs along her chin. After a minute she pulled away to place her forehead to his. She had said what she needed to say without having to actually say anything and the look he gave her let her know that he understood what she was trying to say.

"I'd ask you out on a date, but where would we go?" he asked with a half smile.

"We'll have to take a rain check."

"Maybe we can get our weekend passes changed to the same weekend," he thought out loud.

"It's worth a try."

"Come here," he said leaning down to brush his lips to hers again.

This time he didn't hold back. He threw everything he had at her and she tossed it back at him with fervor. Her tongue glided over his and she fit in his arms like she was made for them. The feelings coursing through him went beyond anything he had felt for Nessera. A wave of calm washed over him once she pulled away. She licked her lips before a nervous chuckle bubbled out of her mouth.

"That's never happened before," she said quickly.

"You felt it too?"

"Yeah," she with a sharp sigh.

"Is there anything else that you need to tell me?"

"That about covers it."

He led them back down the path to comp and were met by Emmett and Edward as they were crossing the field.

"Can I go over something with you?" Emmett asked Jacob.

"Go ahead. I'll see you later," Bella said letting go of his hand.

He hugged her, his eyes meeting Edward's over her shoudler. Edward looked away quickly and Jacob kissed Bella's forehead. Bella looked over her shoulder once Jacob and Emmett were far enough away not to hear what she had to say to Edward. He had been keeping a low profile for the last week but she still caught him staring at her from time to time.

"Before you say anything; I would like to apologize," Edward said, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"Go ahead," she said with a shrug.

"I've been an ass and the sad part is that I didn't realize it until just recently. I see now that I don't have a chance in hell with you and I am asking for a second chance," he said sincerally.

"Okay," she said with a nod.

"I'm Edward Cullen, it's nice to meet you," he said holding out his hand.

"Bella Swan," she said with a smile.

She shook his hand, not knowing what he would say next.

"What made you realize that you were going about things the wrong way?"

"Your friend Angela gave me a stern talking to and made me see the error of my ways," he said with a sheepish grin.

"Angela? Angela Webber?" she asked cautiously.

"Yep. Right before she kissed me," he said with a soft chuckle.

"Huh," she said, unable to comprehend that Angela would make the first move.

Bella looked at her watch and realized that it was almost time for her and Sue to go into town for groceries for the week. If she was lucky, maybe she could talk Sue into letting Embry go with her. She needed his perspective on what was going on. She said goodbye to Edward before heading up to the mess hall. Sue explained that Embry was covering both shifts at the beach until someone stepped in to fill the position that Leah had left. That was alright, she could talk to him after dinner. She wanted him to the first to know...after Emmett and Edward that is.

XXXX

Embry had been roped into play volleyball since Claire, Bree, and Nora had talked Jessica into playing on their side but he didn't mind. They had been playing for two hours and the girls were starting to get tired. Nora and Carrie collasped on their towels while Claire and Bree went to take showers. Beth sat at the water's edge letting the water lap at her feet. Embry sat next to her silently wondering what was wrong with her. She was known for being a loner, but it wasn't like her to at least try to make an effort to be sociable.

"What's on your mind?" he asked quietly.

"I got a letter from home today," she said with a sigh.

"Usually that's a good thing," he said, nudging her lightly with his elbow.

"There's a lot going on and I'm not there to make it stop," she said with a sniffle.

"Hey, if something's going on you can tell me. No one understands screwed up families more than me," he admitted.

"You have family issues too?"

"I've never met my dad, my mom won't even tell me who he is. I have a right to know!" he said with a frustrated sigh.

"My problems go away beyond that, but that is pretty bad," she said sympathetically.

"You'll feel better once you talk about it," he encouraged her.

"My parents were seperated for a while two years ago. During that time my mom got pregnant. The babies dad is causing problems."

"So you have a younger sibling? You told everybody you were an only child the first night here."

"I don't like talking about her that much."

"I guess I can understand that. But it's not your fault that her dad's a douche bag."

"You have a point. Thanks, Embry."

He gave her a one armed hug, squeezing her gently. Jessica came up to them to let Beth know that it was time to go.

"If you ever want to talk; I'll alway listen," Embry told Beth as he pulled her up.

Beth smiled gratefully before turning to follow Jessica and the girls up the path. Embry got the feeling that there was something that Beth wasn't telling him but he couldn't be sure. If she was, she had a right to keep it to herself and if she decided to come to him again, he would listen nonjudgementally, just like he had done this time.

XXXX

Riley knew that he could get in trouble for what he was doing but he didn't care. He stood outside Victoria's cabin and watched as Victoria readied for bed. He tapped on the window lightly but she didn't hear him. He tapped again making her still her hand with her brush hanging over her head.

"Victoria!" he whispered loud enough for her to hear.

She turned to the window with curious eyes. He pointed and she met him on the porch thirty seconds later.

"What are doing here?" she whispered.

"I need to talk to you. Can we go for a walk?"

"Let me get my shoes. You'd better pray that no one finds us," she warned before going inside.

They sat on the stairs leading to camp a good football field length away from the cabins.

"What's going on with you?"

"I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," she promised endearingly.

"You have got to be nicer to Bella," he said firmly.

"I'm trying!" she whispered in defense.

"Babe, no you're not. I see the looks you give here when you think I'm not looking. She's trying to look past what happened two years ago, can't you?" he asked logically.

"If she's going to run to you everytime she has a problem with me than I can do whatever I want," she said in contempt.

"That's just it, she hasn't," he objected.

"Yeah, right," she said with a scoff.

"I'm serious. She hasn't said a word to me about you. Just like she didn't tell the Clearwater's what happened two years ago. If she had, do you honestly think that they would have asked you to come back?"

"Well, no," she said in defeat.

"Be nicer to her, or you and I are going to have problems," he warned.

"Why do you care so much? Do you still love her?" she asked, panicked.

"Of course I don't love her! Not the way that I love you. We're getting married and you're honestly asking me that?" he asked, hurt.

"You said that you don't love her the way that you love me."

"A small part of me will always love her because she was my first love, albiet it is a very small part of me."

"But the rest of you loves me," she added.

"Yes, Vic," he promised.

"I love you too. I'm sorry for acting so crazy. I warned you that this might happen," she said with a shallow sigh.

He pulled her to him and kiss her forehead. She sighed into his neck as she got her emotions in check. No one had ever listened to her the way Riley did. No one had ever cared for her the way he did either. She didn't want to go back to the person she'd been a year ago. James had left her without looking back; leaving her to clean up what was left of her shattered heart. She hadn't expected to fall in love with Riley when he started hanging around all of the sudden. They had nursed each other's broken hearts and fallen in love in the process without even realizing it. She didn't know what she'd do without him. He put up with her mood swings and bouts of insanely jealous rage like a champ. She felt lucky to have him in her life.

**AN2: Okay, they're officially together. Everybody happy? Great. I'm fighting a cold right so if there are any discrepancies please feel free to call me out on them. Now I am going to watch Les Miserable and hope that I don't pass out from a cough syrup induced coma. Later guys.**


	6. Parent Approved

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I do own the OC character's mentioned in this chapter.**

**AN: In unrelated Twilight news, I have BIG news. After being out of work for three months I have found the perfect job for me. It's only seven hours a week but I have the option of getting more hours once I've gone through my trial period. This job kind of fell into my lap, but I had been praying that I would find one for a while. It's crazy how things work out sometimes, right?**

Weeks passed by and before Bella knew it there were only three weeks left in the camp season. She'd kept in contact with her parents and a small handful of friends from Arizona with a new letter arriving from her mom every Thursday. It was something that she had come to look forward to. She only had to wait until dinner before she'd get another letter. She'd found out from Seth that his dad would be gone for the weekend giving Sue a chance to get ready for his surprise birthday party on Sunday. Her and Jacob's dads would be there by nightfall so that they could get an early start on their guys weekened with Harry in the morning.

Bella and Jacob's relationship was progressing slowly. They didn't want to take things too far because PDA between counselors in front of campers was forboden. Emmett and Rosalie had been written up last week for skinny dipping when Harry caught them in the middle of the day. Luckily, they were far enough down the shore in a part of lake that the kids weren't allowed to frequent due to the onslaught of leeches in the water. They had both been spared but were still embarassed.

Bella and Jacob had found a hiding place where no one would think to look for them. The old supply shed wasn't exactly clean and it was infested with spiders. No one would go near it so Bella and Jacob could go whenever they wanted; after Jacob had sprayed it with bug killer and Bella cleaned it of spiderwebs at least. They could do whatever they wanted and hoped that no one found them.

Jacob stood in front of her and she was pressed against the counter. He stared down at her giving her an intense stare that made her breath hitch. She felt laid out bare to him underneath his proding eyes and hands which rested against her stomach underneath her shirt. His hands were hot as a branding iron against her skin. This was the farthest they had gotten because people were known to walk by every once in a while; even if they didn't stop.

She sighed before pushing up on her elbows to reach his waiting lips. He lifted her onto the counter and nudged her legs open with his knee. Once he was flush against her his hands explored the exspance of her back, moving up to her shoulder blades. She sighed against his lips, linking her arms around his neck. The kiss was leisurely, they weren't in a hurry. Neither of them had anywhere that they needed to be. His tongue stroked hers, eliciting a moan from deep in her throat. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

They kissed for a few more minutes until Bella's phone chirped. She didn't think that she had service out there. She'd have to remember to turn it off next time. He pulled away from her with a defeated sigh. She grabbed her phone from off the counter, realizing that it was Embry.

"Our dad's are here," she said pushing away from him so that she could hop down.

They hadn't told their dad's that they were together because they felt that it was something that needed to be done in person. She had told her mom weeks ago, but that was different. Renee no longer had a tie to he dad and Billy or their friends the way that Bella did.

Charlie sat on the steps of the mess hall while Billy's chair was situated near the stairs. Bella and Jacob came around the corner and Billy saw them first. Jacob had an arm slung around her waist and she had one around his.

"You see what I'm seeing Charlie?" he asked when they stopped a few feet from him.

"I see," Charlie confirmed.

"How long do you think before were in-laws?"

"Not for a long, long, long time," he said giving Bella a pointed look.

"Aww come on Chief, we knew this would happen eventually," Billy reasoned.

"But are you okay with it?" Jacob asked.

"'Of course I am!" Billy said exhuberantly.

"You haven't said much," Bella said to her dad.

"I've never been chatty, Bells, you know that. But I'm fine, I don't have any problems with the two of you being together," he confirmed.

"Did I see Riley a few minutes ago?" Billy asked.

"He came in to replace Quil," Bella said with a nod.

"It would have helped if you had mentioned that when you call," Charlie admonished.

"Why? It's not a big deal," she said with a shrug.

"I saw the red head who gave you trouble too," Charlie observed.

"Victoria replaced Leah," Jacob informed him.

"I would think that Sue and Harry wouldn't hire her after what happened last time."

"People deserve a second chance, Dad," Bella said with another shrug.

Rosalie and Alice came up the path and Alice's face brightened immediately.

"Hi Chief Swan, Billy," she said politely.

"Alice," Charlie said with a nod.

"OMG, you weren't kidding," Rosalie gushed just loud enough for them to hear as they passed.

Alice quickly shushed her before rounding the corner to head up to the showers. Bella was glad to have their dad's approvail and touched that they were concerned about her well being. Their opinions were important to her, even more so than her mom's. They were the two that she and Jacob would have to answer to if things didn't work out. She prayed that wouldn't happen though.

She felt more comfortable around her dad because he didn't expect as much from her as her mom did. Their personalities were the same and they had an unspoken understanding. She didn't remember why she had stopped coming to see him when she was twelve but she was grateful for the chance to rebuild their relationship.

The horn sounded to acknowledge the end of the day and Charlie jumped in surprise. For someone who arrested people on a daily basis he was easy to scare. Bella and Billy smirked while Jacob hid his laugh behind a cough.

"Do you need to change your underwear Old Man?" Billy teased.

"Can it," Charlie retorted, his face a dark shade of red.

"We need to head up to the cabins but we'll see the two of you at dinner," Bella said before walking away.

Jacob waved before taking off after her. Once he caught up with her he laced her fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she tilted her head to look at him. He winked at her before stopping at the turn off to the boys cabins. He leaned down to brush his lips to hers before go of her hand.

"See you in an hour," he said, his eyes smiling.

She smiled back before continuing up the stairs. She was glad that their dads knew the truth. She'd felt bad for keeping it from them. Now that they knew she could focus on moving forward.

XXXX

Dinner that night was livelier than Bella had ever seen it. Charlie and Billy sat with Harry and Sue at the front of the room. Insults were tossed back and forth and the kids egged them on. It was dinner theater in it's purest form. Colin had traded places with Bella so that she could sit with Jacob but she knew the real reason; he'd had his eye on Jessica since the first day of camp. Jessica knew what was going on and had thus far dodged his eager advances.

Jacob grabbed Bella's free hand under the table while Seth and Brady filled her in on the heated paintball game that had transpired that afternoon. She used to think that the two of them were complete polar oppisites without Colin in the picture to reign them in because their personalities tended to clash but now that they were older and starting to mature she saw that they brought out the best in each other.

As dinner wound down Sue called for everyone's attention so that she could distribute the mail. The plastic bin of letters sat on the table and she called out names one by one to retrieve their letters. Since she went alphabetically Bella had to wait a couple of minutes before her name was called. After the letters were doled out everyone started to collect their trays and made plans to leave.

"I have one more delivery," she called over the noise.

Everyone quieted down as Sue moved to the kitchen door then her eyes landed on Claire.

"It's a very special care package from Billy to Claire," she said before opening the door.

Quil stepped out of the kitchen and Claire exclaimed in surprise. She was across the room in seconds. She was careful not to jostle his arm but she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Just know that he has to go back on Sunday," Sue warned her.

"I don't care," Claire said into Quil's neck.

"Everybodies free to go," Harry announced.

It was Bella and Embry's cabins week of clean up duty so they got to work while Jacob, Charlie, Billy, Sue, and Harry sat on the porch with Quil. Jacob and Quil sat on the porch leaning against the building side by side, shoulders touching. It had been a month since Quil had been sent home and they had talked everyday but having him there was completely different. Jacob could tell by the way Quil looked that the time away had been hard on him. His skin had lost some of it's color, his eyes had dark bags under them from lack of sleep and he'd lost a considerable amount of weight.

"You look like hell," Jacob said to break the silence.

"I feel like it. I've been on five diffrent pain meds in the past four weeks. The first four triggered my upchuck reflex and gave me insomnia but thanks for pointing it out," he said flatly.

"I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't worry about you. So your doctor found a medication that works?"

"I've been on it for a couple of days now. My mom's been shovling food in me ever since."

"And yet you're not sleeping?" Sue asked.

"I miss everybody and it keeps me up," he said shrugging his good shoulder.

That was when Jacob realized that Quil was even more miserable than he was letting on. He decided to make up for as much lost time as they could. The campers laughter and the music from Bella's iPod filtered through the open windows. Jason Mraz ended and Adele took his place. The boys groaned from the kitchen as the girls sang along while they wiped down the tables and swept the front room.

Less than ten minutes later the girls were done and filed out the door; all except for Bella and Claire saying goodnight as they walked down the stairs. The sounds of Linkin Park floated through the kitchen door in retaliation to the music that the girls had made the boys listen to. Jacob scooted over and Bella sat in between him and Quil. Jacob reached for her hand and threaded his fingers through hers wordlessly. She leaned into him as Quil caught her up on what he had been up to.

"Have you read your mom's letter yet?" Jacob asked.

"Not yet," she said with a shake of her head.

Like Jacob, she wanted to spend as much as time as she could with Quil. Claire mimicked her position on Quil's other side. Claire looked like she would melt into him if she could, her legs were tangled in his and their heads were touching. Bella wished that she could take a picture. Sue read her mind, quickly catching the moment on her phone. Embry, Emmett and the boys came out and Emmett ushered them down the stairs. Embry sat on Jacob's other side and the group settled into silence. It was just like any other night for them and Bella couldn't imagine a better way to end the night.

XXXX

Bella finally opened her letter from her mom when she was back in her cabin. The girls sat in a circle with Jessica, Rosalie, and Alice using the most of the last hour leading up to lights out. Her heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. She hadn't liked keeping secrets from her dad but she had she had felt even worse for keeping something from Quil. Neither she or Jacob had been prepaired for Quil's reaction. He hadn't asked a lot of questions like Embry or Leah had. He'd folded his good arm over his chest and smiled smugly.

"It's about damn time," Was all he had said before changing the subject.

She smiled at the memory while unfolding the single sheet of paper. It was one of the shortest letters her mom had written her since it only filled the front and half of the back.

_Jelly Belly Bean,_

_My jaw is half way to the floor as I write this. You pantsed someone? Did you at least get a look at this guy's package? Is he cute or is he puppy food compared to Jacob? Nevermind, just send me a picture. His name is Edmund, right? Or is it Emmerson? Again, nevermind, I'll just read your last letter again. Now on to more important things. I am coming to see you before you leave for college! Yes, that's right I am coming back to that podunk town that Charlie refuses to leave. I'll be staying with your aunt Carol and I know that it will keep you from Jacob but I would appreciate if you would carve some time out for me so that I could see you. _

_Phil's been gone most of the past two weeks since his team made it into the playoffs. The house is more quiet than it's been in years. I got my class list for the year and I'm starting to plan my sillabis for the year. It keeps me busy and from missing you too much. I don't know what I'm going to do without you. Phil says that I should look at it as an extended version of camp but that just makes me even sadder. Is it too late to ask you to switch schools?_

_I don't mean to worry you but I am going to miss you. Try to make it to see me for the holidays? Don't forget your old momma, alright? I worry about you is all._

_Love_

_Mom_

Bella sighed as she folded the letter and put it back in it's envelope. How many times would she have to reassure her mom that she was fine or remind her that she was more than capable of taking care of herself? Renee's change in behavior had started a few months before the school year had ended. Phil didn't seem to be worried about her so why did her behavior raise a red flag for Bella? She couldn't put her finger on it; but she had a feeling that their visit to Forks would shed light on the subject.

XXXX

Bree was a patient person but even she had her limits. She had been dropping subtle hints since the begining of camp and Seth had yet to pick up on them. It would be easier if she could get him alone but that was out of the question. That was when Beth had come up with the idea to sneak up to the mess hall after everyone had gone to bed. She'd let Colin and Brady in on the plan and all they had to do was bring Seth. She brought Nora along because it was obvious that Carrie was a little too immature to handle what she had in mind. A flashlight beam swung through the forest and the boys stepped out of the trees. Seth was asking question after question until Brady smacked him upside the head.

"What the hell!?" Seth whispered angrilly.

"You're gonna get us busted before we even do anything. Shut. Up," Brady said exasperatedly.

"Turn off the flashlight," Beth ordered Colin.

Once in the mess hall Nora unloaded the bag she carried. She lit the candles while Brady went into the kitchen. Beth told the other three to form a circle with her on the floor. Brady came back in tossing something in the air. He sat a soda bottle in the middle of the circle then sat down. Nora sat on his other side a few seconds later.

"Please tell me we aren't doing what I think we're doing," Seth said nervously.

"Okay, who here has never played spin the bottle?" Beth asked, ignoring Seth's statement.

"I haven't," Nora answered.

"Big shock there," Brady chimed in.

"Shut it Williams," Nora bit back.

"We're gonna go in a circle clockwise. I'll go first and the kiss has to last longer than three seconds," Beth announced.

"What if you land on another girl or one of us lands on another dude?"

"Then you get a redo and you keep at it until you get one of us. I would never make you kiss Brady," she promised.

"Hey!" Brady interjected.

"Enough, I'm spinning it."

It spun around the circle three times before it stopped on Brady. She rolled her eyes but leaned over to kiss him, quickly counting to three then wiping her mouth with a cringe. Colin was next and kissed Nora with no qualms. She blushed when he pulled away, the kissed had lasted a lot longer then three seconds. Nora was next and groaned when she got Brady after landing on Bree twice.

"Can't I just kiss her?"

"As much as Brady would like that, no. I had to do it; come on Nor, take one for the team."

"You had better not try to french me like you did Beth because if you do I'll use a dull butter knife to carve out your tongue."

She kissed him then pulled away as soon as the three seconds were up. Bree was next and the bottle spun round and round all the while she begged it to stop on Seth. It stopped in between Beth and Seth and Beth nudged the bottle gently with her foot until it was facing him. She shrugged her eye brows at Bree, glad that Seth couldn't see her do it.

They met in the middle, both leaning on their elbows., the candle flames reflecting in their eyes. Bree moved in, closing her eyes just before her lips met his. Seth cradled her neck and applied more pressure to the kiss. Bree smiled against his lips as someone cleared their throat. The kiss continued for another minute before Brady asked if they wanted to be left alone.

"Yes," Seth said against her lips.

The boys left and the girls gathered the candles and put away the soda before leaving. Now shrouded in darkness they finally pulled away.

"You liked me all along, didn't you?" Bree asked.

"Yep," he answered with a smile in his voice.

Bree laughed lightly before throwing her arms around his neck. He pulled them to the floor and they lay facing each other.

"I made an idiot out of myself. Why didn't you say anything?"

"You did not look like an idiot, you couldn't look like one if you tried. I didn't know how to tell you," he said sheepishly.

"Well, you could have fooled me."

He chuckled before leaning in. This kiss like the first started innocent, soon fireworks exploded behind Bree's eyes and she sighed against his lips. Their first kiss had been been planned and there'd been an audience, they were now free to act on what they felt. Neither of them cared that they could get caught.

It was almost dawn when Bree snuck back into the cabin. She tiptoed to her bunk and it squeaked under her weight.

"It had better have been worth it," Bella said tiredly.

"Bree and Seth sittin' in a tree," Nora sang.

The cabin erupted with laughter, catcalls and whistles loud enough to wake up the girls in the other cabins who came to celebrate with them. The repricutions from Bella and Jessica were forgotten for now but they were coming, even if they weren't mentioned.


End file.
